Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency divisional multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.
These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example of an emerging telecommunication standard is Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). It is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lower costs, improve services, make use of new spectrum, and better integrate with other open standards using OFDMA on the downlink (DL), SC-FDMA on the uplink (UL), and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in LTE technology. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.
In one aspect, one of the new features associated with advanced LTE technology is a Minimization of Drive Test (MDT) feature, which is specified in 3GPP standards. This feature allows the operator to engage commercial mobile devices in collecting information about network performance and coverage quality thus avoiding the need to perform drive test campaigns. In another aspect, similar features are also being introduced in non-3GPP standards, such as an Open mobile Alliance (OMA). For example, collection of the network performance and coverage quality information may be an additional activity for a commercial mobile device which consumes additional battery energy. It is therefore advantageous to engage those mobile devices that have sufficient remaining battery capacity. Besides MDT, there can be other optional activities that mobile devices may be requested to perform and for which the remaining battery capacity may be one of the criteria used to select the mobile devices to be engaged by the network. Therefore, there is a clear need for a mechanism to report the battery information from the mobile device to the network.